Following Claire’s death an expert social work report was commissioned into the case which found the 28-year-old and her son were “invisible in the system”.
The parents of murdered Claire Inglis used a meeting with John Swinney to demand the release of a Crown Office report into failures that led to their daughter’s death. Christopher McGowan was jailed for the brutal killing of Claire, six weeks after being freed to live at the flat she shared with her son.
McGowan, who had 39 convictions, including aggravated domestic assault, had been bailed to the mum’s Stirling home three times. Following her death an expert social work report was commissioned into the case which found Claire and her son were “invisible in the system”.
But her parents Ian and Fiona, who have spent four years fighting for answers, only received a brief summary of the report. This month, supported by Scottish Tory leader Russell Findlay, the couple met First Minister Swinney to demand the release of the report in full and to call for a fatal accident inquiry into their daughter’s death.
Handout – Ian and Fiona Inglis, parents of murder victim Claire Inglis meeting with Russel Findlay (left) and John Swinney (right)
Fiona, 64, from Stirling, said: “We have waited so long, we just need answers now. We met with Mr Swinney for over an hour and it was an emotional conversation.
“I did say to him, ‘You’re a father, you will know how we are feeling. What would you do in our situation? He was very honest and he said he had no idea of the trauma, the horror and emotional toll we had endured since losing Claire.”
In the letter summarised by the Crown Office, it states one of the questions asked of the report was whether Claire’s murder could potentially have been prevented. But no answer is provided.
Christopher McGowan, who had 39 previous convictions, was released on bail to Claire’s home which she shared with her young son.
McGowan, then 28, was jailed for life and ordered to serve a minimum of 23 years behind bars in October 2023. Swinney, who met Ian, 62, and Fiona last November, said: “If the report can be released I am very happy for that to be the case.”
First Minister John Swinney said: “I extend my deepest sympathies to Fiona and Ian Inglis. The independent Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service is investigating the wider circumstances of the case, and I understand further engagement has taken place with the family after I wrote to the Lord Advocate to convey their views.”
Fiona and Ian also met with Crown officials earlier this month.
A spokesperson for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service:“We listened to their concerns, shared an update on the investigation and carefully took them through the draft expert report in detail. Together we also looked at why confidentiality remains essential at this stage to ensure the integrity of the investigation.
“The Procurator Fiscal’s examination of this case is still ongoing and any decision regarding a possible Fatal Accident Inquiry will be made once all relevant information have been considered.”